Cast Announced for INTERSTATE Presented by East West Players

East West Players, the nation's longest-running Asian American theatre and the largest producer of Asian American theatrical works, has announced casting for the rolling world premiere of INTERSTATE, an Asian-American pop-rock poetry musical that follows Dash, a transgender spoken word performer who becomes internet-famous along with his best friend Adrian, a lesbian singer-songwriter.

The production stars Jupiter Lê (he/him/his) as "Dash Koi," Gillian Han* (she/her/hers) as "Adrian Tong," Jaya Joshi (they/any) as "Henry Ahuja," Michelle Noh* (she/her/hers) as "Mom," Reuben Uy* (he/him/his) as "Dad," Stefan Miller (he/him/his) as "Pastor Fred," Natalie Holt MacDonald* (she/her/hers) as "Madison" and Krystle Simmons* (she/her/hers) as "Carly."

INTERSTATE has book by Melissa Li (she/hers) and Kit Yan (he/she/they), music and lyrics by Melissa Li, poetry and additional lyrics by Kit Yan and is directed by Jesca Prudencio (she/hers). It performs June 2 though June 26th (press opening June 9th) at the David Henry Hwang Theatre, 120 Judge John Aiso St., Los Angeles, CA 90012. For tickets and information please visit eastwestplayers.org.

"East West Players is incredibly excited to bring the rolling world premiere of INTERSTATE to Los Angeles," says Producing Artistic Director Snehal Desai (he/him). "It is a groundbreaking new musical. Poignant, smart and very funny, INTERSTATE invites an intersectional conversation in the Asian American community around sexuality, gender and identity. It is also a story about love between parents and children, friends, romantic partners and the way those bonds are tested for the long haul. It's an unforgettable road trip, and we are so proud to open this June in tandem with Pride month."

INTERSTATE is the touching story about how two transgender people at different stages of their journey navigate love, family, masculinity, and finding a community in the era of social media. It tells two stories - that eventually intersect.

Fueled by the allure of fame and a desire to connect with their community, Dash and Adrian embark on a road trip across America for their first national tour. Their fiercely political and deeply personal music touches Henry, a transgender teenage boy living in small-town middle America, and he finds solace in their art as he struggles with his own identity and family.

After blogging about the band and documenting his own gender journey, Henry decides to set out on a quest to meet his heroes in person, hoping to find answers to his own struggles.

Chris Hewitt in the Minneapolis Star Tribune said that in Interstate "lesbian singer and transgender spoken-word artists Adrian and Dash's quest for world domination involves driving more than 4,000 miles across the country, performing shows and making sure their story gets told. The sunny, accessible Interstate ... builds to its rousing finale. I'm hard-pressed to remember a show that felt more welcoming and joyful ... this show's heart is in exactly the right place, a place of inclusion and wide-open arms. "

Dominic P. Papatola sad in the Twin Cities Pioneer Press, said, "Interstate succeeds with a deft blend of humor, brains and heart. The music is infections and rangy, sampling everything from 1950s doo-wop to poetry slam to contemporary pop to "Rent"-y ballads. It's a mature-sounding score for a pair making their first foray into musical theater, and it propels the plot in a seamless combination with the script."

Calendar information about Interstate

Performance times from June 2 to June 26 are 8 PM Friday to Saturday (some Thursdays), with 2 PM matinees on Saturday, and 5pm performances on Sunday.

Ticket prices range from $39 to $59. A Pay-What-You-Can performance is scheduled for June 13th and June 20th at 8PM.

Information; tickets may be purchased online at eastwestplayers.org or by calling (213) 625-7000. At time of purchase please mention any wheelchair/accessible seating needs. Student, senior, and group discounts are available. Dates, details, and ticket prices are subject to change.

#EastWestPlayers #EWPInterstate #EWPSeason56 #EWPHereUsNow

All patrons must show proof of vaccination and photo ID to be admitted into the theater. EWP has implemented numerous COVID-19 safety protocols to ensure that artists and audience members are able to safely enjoy their experience. For more information about these measures please click or tap here.

Biographies

Melissa Li (she/her) is a composer, lyricist, performer, and writer based in NYC. She is a recipient of the 2021 Kleban Prize, Jonathan Larson Award, a Dramatists Guild Foundation Fellow, a Lincoln Center Theater Writer-in-Residence, a 2019 Musical Theatre Factory Maker, a MacDowell Fellow, a Company One Pao Arts Fellow, and a former Queer|Art|Mentorship Fellow. Musicals include Interstate (New York Musical Festival, Winner "Outstanding Lyrics"), MISS STEP (5th Avenue Theatre commission), Cancelled (Keen Company), May Day (New York Rep), Surviving the Nian (The Theater Offensive, IRNE Award Winner for "Best New Play" 2007), and 99% Stone (The Theater Offensive).

Upcoming: BachelorX (Playwrights Horizons), Adventurephile (Keen Company), and OSF Presents (Oregon Shakespeare Festival). Her works have received support from 5th Avenue Theatre, The Village Theater, Musical Theater Factory, Playwrights Horizons, Keen Company, Weston Playhouse, NewYorkRep, Company One Theatre, National Performance Network, and New England Foundation for the Arts, among others. Melissa has released music solo and collaboratively, including 2 Seconds Away, Drive Away Home (as Good Asian Drivers), and The Beginning (as Melissa Li & The Barely Theirs).

Kit Yan (they/she/he) is a Yellow American New York based artist, born in Enping, China, and raised in the Kingdom of Hawaii. Kit is a 2021 Jonathan Larson Grant and Kleban Prize recipient for Libretto, a 2021 Sundance IDP Fellow and grantee, a Vivace Award recipient for big ideas in musical theater, a former Musical Theater Factory Makers Fellow, Playwright's Center fellow, Company One/Pao Arts Fellow, Lincoln Center Writer in residence, Dramatists Guild Foundation Fellow and MacDowell Fellow. Musicals include Interstate (New York Musical Festival, Winner "Outstanding Lyrics"), MISS STEP (5th Avenue Theatre commission), Cancelled (Keen Company), Queer Heartache (5 awards at the Chicago and SF Fringe Festivals), and May Day (NewYorkRep). Upcoming: BachelorX (Playwrights Horizons), Adventurephile (Keen Company), and OSF Presents (Oregon Shakespeare Festival). Their work has been produced by the American Repertory Theater, the Smithsonian, NAMT, Musical Theater Factory, the New York Musical Festival, Mixed Blood, and Diversionary Theater. Kit's forthcoming commissions include work with Playwrights Horizons Soundstage, OSF, Keen Company, and San Diego Repertory Theater. Kit's films have been shown at OUTfest, CAAMfest, The LA Asian Pacific Film Festival, and The Asian American International Film Festival among many others.

Jesca Prudencio (she/her/hers) is a director and choreographer focused on creating highly physical productions of new plays, musicals, and documentary theater nationally, and internationally. Directing credits include Will Snider's How To Use a Knife (Mixed Blood), Calling (La MaMa ETC), Anna Moench's Man of God (East West Players), A&Q (Philippines), and FAN: stories from the brothels of Bangkok (Thailand). Her critically acclaimed productions of Qui Nguyen's Vietgone and Anna Ziegler's Actually at San Diego Repertory Theatre received multiple Craig Noel nominations including Outstanding Director. She is a recipient of The Old Vic's T.S. Eliot US/UK Exchange Fellowship, The Drama League Fellowship, and the inaugural Julie Taymor World Theater Fellowship. Jesca is Artistic Director/Founder of People Of Interest, dedicated to creating community specific documentary theater works. She is currently Head of Directing at San Diego State University. BFA Drama: NYU Tisch, MFA Directing: UC San Diego. Upcoming: The Great Leap at Steppenwolf, PDA at La Jolla Playhouse's WoW Festival.

Jupiter Lê (he/him/his) "Dash Koi", was born and raised on the lands of the Massachusett people, presently known as Boston, MA. As a child of immigrants, he is a proud Vietnamese-American living in Dorchester with his family. He studies Theatre and Cultural Anthropology at Northeastern University. Recent credits: Shrike (Fresh Ink Theatre Company), So You Think You Can Win Your Grandma's Love, Door (Asian American Playwright Collective), My Body Is a Season (SpeakEasy Stage).

Gillian Han* (she/her/hers) "Adrian Tong", was born and raised in the DC Metro Area and furthered her artistic studies at Baldwin Wallace University, proudly graduating with her Bachelors of Music in Music Theatre. She has previously performed at The Cleveland Playhouse, Festival56, The Clinton Showboat Theater, and The Beck Center for the Arts.

Jaya Joshi (they/any) "Henry Ahuja", recent credits: Bhangin It! A New Musical, La Jolla Playhouse (Sunita), Cabaret, Columbia University (Bobby). Education: B.F.A Musical Theatre, Shenandoah Conservatory (2019). Representation: Michael Rodriguez at The Roster Agency.

Michelle Noh* (she/her/hers) "Mom", Theatre includes: the Original Tour of ... Spelling Bee, ... Forum at EWP & seven world premiere plays & musicals in L.A. She currently plays "Dana" in "High School Musical: The Musical: The Series." Dozens of tv shows & films include: "I Love That for You," "The Goldbergs," "Bad Judge," "Grey's Anatomy," "2 Broke Girls," "How I Met Your Mother" and OVERSHARE.

Reuben Uy* (he/him/his) "Dad", started his career in Manila as a member of the pop group Akafellas. He made his musical theatre debut in the Manila production of the off-Broadway hit Altar Boyz. In Manila, he portrayed many iconic roles, such as Stanley Kowalski in A Streetcar Named Desire, Eilert Loevborg in Hedda Gabler, and Benedick in Much Ado About Nothing. He was then cast as JJ in the Sean Ellis-helmed Metro Manila, which won the Sundance Audience Award in 2013. He is now based in Los Angeles, California. Selected credits include - TV/New Media: Officer John Enockihty in Bosch (Amazon Prime) FG97 in The Web Opera (Best Shorts Competition Award of Merit), Film: Ty in Zoombies (Syfy Channel), Theater: Da in Beijing Spring (East West Players).

Stefan Miller (he/him/his) "Pastor Fred", recent theater credits include: National tour: THE SPONGEBOB MUSICAL (Electric Slate; Plankton and Perch Cover) RUDOLPH THE RED-NOSED REINDEER (swing), Off-Broadway: QUEEN ESTHER (Teresh) Regional: TENOR BY NIGHT, El Portal Theater (Mike), STATE FAIR, Sierra Repertory Theatre (Fairtone), LITTLE WOMEN, The Chance Theater (John Brooke), OKLAHOMA!, 3-D Theatricals, WEST SIDE STORY, Theatre Royale(A-rab), OKLAHOMA!, Opera San Luis Obispo (Will Parker), OF THEE I SING, Bear Valley Music Festival. Love to Gunta, his family, and ATB.

Natalie Holt MacDonald* (she/her/hers) "Madison", Theatre: Los Angeles premiere of Allegiance the Musical, starring George Takei. Film/TV credits include: two episodes guesting starring on ABC's 20/20, a lead in the film Hot Pink, and a host for a financial mortgage tips commercial. Stage credits include: "Kathy" in Singing in the Rain at Musical Theater West, "Sandy" in Grease at 5-Star Theatricals, and "Rudolph" in the national tour of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer the musical from 2016-2021, and also reprising the role at the Grand Ole Opry in 2019.

Krystle Simmons* (she/her/hers) "Carly", an award winning singer, actress, and VO performer, most recently appearing as Peggy in MTW's The Andrews Brothers. Some of her credits include appearances on "ICSYV" S1E8, the "Ellen Degeneres Show", and Andy Cohen's "Watch What Happens Live." Regional credits include theater productions like Invincible (The Bourbon Room), The Christians (Center Theater Group), The Baby Dance:Mixed (Ovation Award Nominee/Female Lead) and Memphis (NAACP Theater Award Nominee & Inland Theater Award Winner/Female Lead).

History of INTERSTATE-- semi-autobiographical show conceived in 2012 by Melissa Li and Kit Yan. After participating in terraNOVA Collective's Groundworks Residency at the IRT, a staged-reading of the first full draft was presented at Dixon Place's HOT! Festival in July 2013. The following year, a closed two-week workshop was held at Project Reach followed by a 29-hour reading was held in March 2016 for industry members. In March 2018, Interstate participated in Musical Theatre Factory's 10-day Developmental Residency, and later that summer, Interstate had its first full workshop production with a sold-out and extended run at the New York Musical Festival (NYMF dir. Jessi D. Hill) where it won awards for Outstanding Lyrics, Special Citation for Representation and Inclusion, and more. After NYMF, the script was further developed at the Dramatists Guild Foundation Fellowship, Johnny Mercer Grove at Goodspeed Musicals and MacDowell. Interstate will have residency at the Weston Playhouse in August 2019 followed by a production at Mixed Blood Theatre in Minneapolis in Spring 2020 directed by Jesca Prudencio.

About East West Players (EWP), the largest producing organization of Asian American artistic work, was founded in 1965, at a time when Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (APIs) faced limited or no opportunities to see their experiences reflected outside of stereotypical and demeaning caricatures in the American landscape. EWP not only ensures that API stories are told, but works to increase access, inclusion, and representation in entertainment and media.
culinity, and community in the era of social media.

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